The superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district has had his education license revoked by state education officials following his arrest last week by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents.
Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Des Moines public schools (DMPS), was detained by Ice agents on Friday morning in what the Department of Homeland Security described as a “targeted enforcement operation”.
In a statement to the Guardian last week, DHS officials said Roberts, who is a native of Guyana, was arrested because he had “a final order of removal and no work authorization”.
Ice officials also said that Roberts “has existing weapon possession charges from February 5, 2020” and he entered the US “in 1999 on a student visa and was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May of 2024”.
Ice officials said that when Roberts was arrested on Friday, he was found in possession of a loaded handgun and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating how he obtained it.
Following his arrest, Iowa’s board of educational examiners appears to have revoked Roberts’s education license. According to the board’s website, the revocation was issued on Sunday.
In a letter dated 28 September and addressed to Roberts, the board’s executive director, Michael Cavin, wrote that their office had “received information that you no longer possess legal presence in the United States, therefore you [are] not able to hold a license issued by the Iowa Board of Educational examiners”.
The letter states that the license issued to Roberts is “no longer valid” and that his “authority to serve as superintendent is revoked”.
The letter states that Roberts has until 28 October to appeal the decision.
On Saturday, the Des Moines school board voted to place Roberts on administrative leave.
Roberts, 54, began his term as superintendent of Des Moines schools in July 2023. Prior to joining DMPS, he served as superintendent of the Millcreek Township school district in Pennsylvania for three years, according to the Iowa district’s 2023 announcement of Roberts’ appointment.
The announcement also stated that Roberts “was born to immigrant parents from Guyana, and spent most of his formative years in Brooklyn”.
On Friday, Jackie Norris, the Des Moines school board president, said that Roberts has been an “integral part of our school community”.
The district also said in a statement: “Roberts has a previous firearm charge related to a hunting rifle which he disclosed to the DMPS Board during the hiring process.”
“He provided sufficient context and explanation of the situation to move forward in the hiring process,” they added. “He has also spoken publicly about this experience.”
The district said on Saturday that “everything the district has on file indicates Dr. Robert [sic] affirmed that he was a citizen who was eligible to work for the school district” and a “comprehensive background check” was completed as part of the hiring process.
On Monday, the Des Moines school district said in a news release it had learned the Iowa board of educational examiners had officially revoked Roberts’ education license to practice in the state of Iowa, and the school board is now scheduled to take action to place Roberts on unpaid administrative.
“This action is required by law,” the statement added.
Norris said in the release that “new information and confirmed facts will continue to inform our decisions as we develop a path forward”.
“Two things can be true at the same time – Dr. Roberts was an effective and well-respected leader and there are serious questions related to his citizenship and ability to legally perform his duties as superintendent,” Norris added.
In the news release, the board also said it had reached out to Roberts’s counsel and “hopes to soon have more information that will guide the Board’s next steps”.
A Des Moines public schools board special meeting is scheduled for Monday afternoon to “consider new information that has been learned relating to the detainment of Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts”.
According to the Des Moines Register, Roberts is currently being held at Woodbury county Jail.
